Missouri
The Department of Commerce and Insurance Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) issued a standing order for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5-11 years old. Pharmacies using a physician protocol to administer the Pfizer COVID-19 pediatric vaccine need to make certain that their protocol includes this age group and booster doses. DHSS will host a webinar on November 8 at 2:00 p.m. Central to discuss booster doses and, vaccinating children ages 5-11 years old. Register at this link.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Nebraska
The Board of Pharmacy published the November 8 meeting agenda and the September 13 draft meeting minutes. The November 8 meeting will be in-person and available to the public via WEBEX; see the agenda for details.
Also in Nebraska, the Department of Health and Human Services announced the next weekly COVID-19 Medicaid Provider call will take place on November 17 at noon (Central).
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
New York
Governor Kathy Hochul (D) signed into law legislation SB 4807A authorizing pharmacists to administer additional vaccines recommended by the CDC to patients 18 years of age and older. This could not have been achieved without the support and drive of the Community Pharmacy Association of New York State and over 100 patient advocacy groups.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Mike Sargent at 207-272-6435.
North Carolina
On October 29, 2021, State Health Director Dr. Betsey Tilson issued new Statewide Standing Orders for Monoclonal Antibody Therapy for COVID-19.
More information concerning the US DHHS PREP Act declaration authorizing pharmacists to order and administer select COVID-19 therapeutics is found here.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
North Dakota
Gov. Doug Burgum (R) issued Executive Order No. 2021-17, convening a Special Session of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly on November 8. Both the House – Day 1 and Senate – Day 1 agendas have been posted along with the bills submitted to the Delayed Bills Committees for the 2021 Special Session.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Oregon
The Board of Pharmacy will conduct its Strategic Planning Meeting on November 17-18 and published an agenda with information for public access by phone.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
South Carolina
SCPhA is hosting APhA’s Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery Certificate Training Program on January 30, 2022 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at 1350 Browning Rd, Columbia, SC 29210. More information can be found here.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Tennessee
Please see the Provider Notice, which includes updates to the TennCare Preferred Drug List, Clinical Criteria, and Interim Criteria below for November 2021. These changes go into effect on November 1.
- BaG removals: Clindesse
- Added to non-preferred: Suboxone, Clindesse
- Added to preferred: buprenorphine-naloxone film (BESMART only), cinacalcet
- Modified criteria/quantity limits for Emflaza, Xeljanz, Xeljanz solution, Xeljanz XR, Olumiant, Rinvoq
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Texas
Having received numerous written comments from Texas pharmacists in advance of the November 2 meeting and hearing from more than a dozen pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and stakeholder groups, the Board voted to withdraw the proposed rules on non-sterile compounding and send back to staff for recommendations on how to proceed.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Virginia
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has issued an amended standing order for COVID vaccines that includes 5 to 11-year-old patients. Additionally, they have developed a flowchart to help with decision making on booster shot dose amount. Lastly, they announced that ordering the 5-11 Pfizer vaccine is now LIVE in VaxMaX. Ordering for this week will close November 8, and orders will begin to be delivered starting November 12.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Washington
The State Health Care Authority updated HCA’s Provider billing guides and fee schedules for COVID-19.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Alabama
The Board of Pharmacy has been notified there is another scam whereby an individual is posing as Board staff. The caller identifies herself as “Linda” and claims she is an employee of the Board updating information from a data merge and following up from a letter that had been sent out previously. She first asks for the pharmacy address, the supervising pharmacist and the primary drug wholesaler. She also asks for the account number “for our wholesaler for recall purposes”. There is no one on staff named Linda, so if you receive a call from her, please know this is NOT a legitimate phone call. Please do not entertain this conversation. The Board is not involved with recalls from wholesalers, and any official communication that needs to be sent to you directly will be sent via mail. If you ever have a suspicion whether a phone call, email, fax or other form of communication is legitimate, we welcome you to call our office or send an email to a staff member. You can find our staff directory on our website under “Contact Us”.
Also in Alabama, as a reminder, effective January 1, 2020, all newly registered technicians are required to complete a Board-approved training program within six (6) months of registration. Failure of a technician to complete the required training within the specified time period may result in disciplinary action for the technician, as well as the supervising pharmacist and the permit holder. Any technician required to complete training that has not done so will not be able to renew their technician registration online. Renewal notices have been mailed to all facilities and technicians. Online renewals are now open. Please note that ALBOP will be processing renewals as timely as possible, but to ensure registrations and permits do not lapse, please submit renewals as early as possible.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
California
The Board of Pharmacy issued a reminder that the following Pharmacy Law Waivers will expire on October 31:
- Duty to Consult (Title 16, California Code of Regulations, section 1707.2(a))
- Prelicensure Inspection at Proposed Location of an Automated Drug Delivery System (ADDS) – Business and Professions Code sections 4119.11(a)(9) and BPC 4427.2(e)
To request a site-specific waiver, use the guidelines posted at How to Request a Pharmacy Law Waiver under “COVID-19 Updates and Resources” on the Board’s website.
Also in California, last week, NACDS and the California Retailers Association sent a joint letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) requesting that California authorize pharmacy technicians to administer flu vaccines to adults in accordance the eighth amendment to the federal declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Act (PREP Act). We also shared the letter with the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Board of Pharmacy.
Also in California, the Board of Pharmacy published a Notice of Proposed Action to amend sections 1793.5 and 1793.6 and to add 1793.65 to Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations related to Pharmacy Technicians. Written comments on the proposed text are due December 6.
Also in California, this week, Magellan released this webinar Q&A as an additional resource for pharmacy providers. Other resources from the Medi-Cal Rx webinar held on October 13 include both the presentation and the audio recording are available. To access the recording, use this link and click on “↓ Download (3 files)” in the upper right corner of the webpage. If your company would like to schedule its own training, please contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801 or sguckian@nacds.org, and we will connect you directly to Magellan and the Department of Health Care Services to schedule the training.
Finally in California, the Department of Health Care Services issued a 60-day beneficiary letter to inform Medi-Cal members about Medi-Cal Rx, the transition of pharmacy services from Managed Medicaid to Fee-for-Service effective January 1, 2022.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Delaware
SB 219, legislation enhancing oversight and transparency related to PBMs, became law this week.
For more information, please contact NACDS’ Mike Sargent at 207-272-6435.
Georgia
The Department of Public Health, Division of Health Protection, Section of Emergency Preparedness and Response Department has received the following updates on the Moderna Expiry Lot Checker regarding the following lots: 046A21A, 008B21-2A, 017B21A, 020B21A, 022B21A, 039B21A, 046B21A, 044B21A. These have successfully been updated to the expiry look up tool. We have been informed that the Moderna team is continuing to work on the expiry extension and the next batch (weekly) will include five priority lots in distribution and all lots expiring in October.
If any providers have expiring doses that have not been updated in the Moderna Expiry Lot Checker yet, the advice is to safely quarantine the expired doses until the dose extension can be verified and to administer new shipments of Moderna vaccine in the meantime. If providers cannot safely quarantine doses of vaccine with unknown extension status and there is concern that expired does may be administered, please properly dispose of vaccine and report as waste.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Iowa
The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) posted a NEW Vaccine Information Brief (10.27.21) with important COVID-19 booster dose information, pediatric COVID-19 vaccine planning information and other updates. Note: Given the frequent updates over the last week, please review the current brief in its entirety. For the latest information and updates impacting Iowa’s enrolled vaccine providers, please visit the IDPH COVID-19 Vaccine Providers webpage, and click on the most recent version of the “ Vaccine Information Brief”. If you have questions, contact the COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center at 1-800-831-6293 ext. 1 or COVID19Vaccine@idph.iowa.gov.
Also in Iowa, the Department of Human Services, Iowa Medicaid Enterprise, issued INFORMATIONAL LETTER NO. 2282-MC-FFS announcing an increase in the pharmacy dispensing fee from $10.07 to $10.38 effective November 1. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved the Iowa Medicaid Enterprise’s State Plan Amendment (SPA) for the increased dispensing fee.
Finally in Iowa, the Department of Human Services, Iowa Medicaid Enterprise, issued INFORMATIONAL LETTER NO. 2279-MC-FFS-D seeking feedback from providers with a goal of improving the effectiveness of services provided to Medicaid members. Iowa Medicaid developed a survey to gather provider feedback with a deadline of November 15.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Louisiana
Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) lifted the public health emergency indoor mask mandate, but the Governor is keeping in place face covering requirements for certain K-12 schools, effective October 27.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Nebraska
The Department of Health and Human Services announced the next weekly COVID-19 Medicaid Provider call will take place on November 3 at noon (Central).
Also in Nebraska, the Department of Health and Human Services added the September 2021 DUR Board draft meeting minutes for approval to the website. Other materials for the DUR Board November 9, 2021, meeting include the agenda and DUR Policy Statements (as of July 2021).
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
North Carolina
The next Board of Pharmacy election is scheduled to begin November 1, and North Carolina pharmacists will vote to fill two positions. Voting coincides with the license renewal period and will run from November 1 through March 1, 2022. All pharmacists actively licensed and living in North Carolina at the start of the election will be eligible to vote for both districts. The winners of this election will begin their terms on May 1, 2022. Below is the link to the bios of the candidates in the two districts.
http://www.ncbop.org/election2021WesternDistrictCandidates.html
http://www.ncbop.org/election2021NorthernDistrictCandidates.html
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Ohio
The Medicaid Department will hold a public hearing on November 1 at 9:00 a.m. to consider Rule 5160-8-53. This new rule establishes provider payment for diabetes prevention and self-management training (DSMT) services when provided by physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants, registered dietitians and pharmacists. The rule also provides for reimbursement for National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) services but only for physicians, physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses. The proposed effective date of this rule is January 1, 2022. NACDS intends to submit comments supporting the DMST provisions and asking that pharmacists also be included under the NDPP program. Instructions to access the virtual meeting are included in the rule notice.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Oregon
The Board of Pharmacy adopted Temporary Rule OAR 855-007-0088 related to Compliance with Oregon Health Authority’s COVID Rules, effective October 18.
Also in Oregon, the Board of Pharmacy has proposed to permanently adopt numerous rules outlined below. Note: written comments may be submitted via email to pharmacy.rulemaking@bop.oregon.gov before 4:30 p.m. on November 23.
- Division 007 – related to Compliance with OHA COVID Rules
- Division 007/041/045/065 – related to USP, Storage, Labeling, Repackaging
- Division 010 – related to Board Administration & Policies
- Division 019/139 – related to Remote Dispensing Site Pharmacy
- Division 041/080 – related to Pseudoephedrine/Ephedrine
- Division 019/021 – related to Pain Management CE
- Division 020 – related to Pharmacist Prescriptive Authority – COVID mAb, PEP & PrEP
- Division 043 – related to SPDO/DPDO/CHC
- Division 060/110 – related to PDMP Fee Increase
- Division 006/041 – related to Telework, Remote Processing & TCVP
For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.
Pennsylvania
NACDS reminds members that a new program is available that will reimburse pharmacies for naloxone copays when the pharmacist believes the patient will be hesitant to pick up the prescription due to cost. The Naloxone Copay Assistance Program is funded through federal grants and began October 1, 2021. The program runs on the existing PACE adjudication platform and will reimburse a pharmacy up to $75 per claim for any patient regardless of their insurance plan. In the interest of making the program as seamless as possible for pharmacies to increase access to naloxone, there is no ID patient card or patient criteria to meet. For more details, see the program bulletin and detailed adjudication specifications. It is our understanding that only a handful of claims were submitted in October; if you are experiencing any barriers to utilizing the program or have suggestions to increase uptake, please contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-525-8962 or jmccormack@nacds.org.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.
Tennessee
TN Vaccine-Preventable Diseases and Immunization Program’s (VPDIP’s) 2nd Annual Virtual Immunization Summit, scheduled for November 17, is a free educational event for healthcare professionals playing significant roles in immunization activities.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Leigh Knotts at 803-243-7207.
Texas
The Board of Pharmacy posted the November 2 meeting agendaand meeting materials. Of interest to chain pharmacies are the possibility of final adoption of proposed rules that would create two new classes of pharmacy, Class A-N for community pharmacies compounding certain non-sterile preparations and the Class A-SN designation for community pharmacies compounding both sterile and non-sterile preparations. Interest parties were asked to submit comments in advance of the meeting.
Also in Texas, despite the collaborative efforts of NACDS, the Texas Federation of Drug Stores (TFDS), the Texas Pharmacy Business Council (TPBC) and other stakeholders during both the regular session earlier this year and most recently during the third special session, the legislative budget conference committees failed to extend the $2.5M funding for the Texas State Board of Pharmacy’s Prescription Monitoring Program’s (PMP) NarxCare integration and clinical alerts. While this means the free access through the Appriss Health PMP Gateway has been discontinued, pharmacists and other prescribers that are required to check the patient’s PMP history before dispensing or prescribing opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates or carisoprodol can still access the system through their free PMP AWARxE account.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Mary Staples at 817-442-1155.
Virginia
The Board of Pharmacy’s Regulation Committee will meet on November 4 at 9:00 a.m. to consider amendments to Chapter 20, Section 25 (Unprofessional Conduct). These amendments address workforce issues, e.g., breaks and staffing. For more details, please see the proposed language in the agenda.
For more information, contact NACDS’ Jill McCormack at 717-592-8977.